Packaging for food products

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to packaging for food products, particularly for baked goods such as muffins, cookies, pastries, cupcakes, breads or the like, wherein a container comprises a base or article-receiving portion, and a lid portion that is hinged to the base or article-receiving portion. Both portions have side flanges, wherein the flanges are selectively connected to one another by a fastener system to close the article-receiving portion with the lid portion. The article-receiving portion is formed to conform to and house a single-serving baked food product. The base portion may also have at least one stability member extending therefrom to provide stability of the base portion on a surface. A package of a plurality of containers may be provided, with each individual container being selectively detachable from the package. In an example, the individual containers may be attached to one another by micro perforations, such that upon detachment of an individual container, the connecting portion is smooth and does not have any sharp edges or protrusions which could harm a consumer.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS/INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE

This patent application claims priority to and the benefit of U.S.Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/083,287 filed on Jul. 24,2008, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

FIELD OF INVENTION

The present invention relates to packaging for food products, and moreparticularly to packaging for food products wherein a container isprovided for housing an individual baked food product such as a muffin,pastry or the like, wherein the container makes it convenient andsanitary to provide single serving portions of the food products forconsumption by a consumer. Additionally, the invention relates topackaging for food products wherein a plurality of individual packagesare provided for housing individual, single-serving portions of foodproducts such as muffins or pastry type products, and the individualpackages are selectively separable to facilitate sale and consumptionthereof.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The use of packaging for food products is widely used in the foodindustry for many reasons. Packaging helps maintain the product in adesired form, and can keep the food products in a fresh condition.Packaged food products can be transported more effectively, providingthe ability to stack the products on top of one another and also side byside. The ability stack packaged products also can facilitate dispensingthe products in a store or the like, providing a convenient way for aconsumer to buy and carry the food product for later consumption.

Multi-pack containers are known and used for storing various separateitems. Individual servings of food, such as yogurt, pudding, gelatin andlike products can be packaged individually. These multi-pack containerstypically include several containers that are joined together to form apack of individual servings. In use, the consumer can separate eachcontainer from the multi-pack, so that single serving food items can becarried and later consumed. Such container arrangements are suitable forpacked lunches or the like, and desirable for consumers for such uses.These containers are typically small, formed, cup-like plasticcontainers manufactured in multi-package units of four, six, eight, ten,etc. The containers are arranged in single or double rows and removablyattached to each other at their adjacent sides. The series of containersare each sealed with a plastic or other film for containment purposes,and to keep the product sanitary. In various packaging of this type, thelidding material or film is applied and then perforations are producedbetween the parts in a secondary operation.

For other types of food products, such as baked goods including muffins,cupcakes, cookies or the like, the products are typically packageddifferently. Such types of food products are generally made in batches,and are many times packaged in a larger container with multiple productsplaced therein. Packaging for such food products has included clam-shelltype packages having a bottom tray type section and a closeable top. Inother cases, materials such as cellophane may be used to wrap a singlebaked product up for storage, transport and later consumption forexample, but such materials do not provide good protection for theproduct. It would be desirable to provide packaging that includesselectively separable containers for baked goods, which provide enhancedprotection of the food products, while providing single-servingconvenience.

BRIEF SUMMARY

The embodiments of the present invention relate to packaging for foodproducts, particularly for baked goods such as muffins, cookies,pastries, cupcakes, breads or the like.

In one embodiment, a package for such food products comprising a base orarticle-receiving portion, and a lid portion that is hinged to the baseor article-receiving portion, both portions having side flanges, whereinthe flanges are selectively connected to one another to close thearticle-receiving portion with the lid portion, wherein thearticle-receiving portion is formed to house a single-serving baked foodproduct. The package may further comprise at least one fastener systemformed in association with the flanges to selectively close the lid withthe base portion, and the fastener system may also provide reclosabilityof the lid with the base portion. The base portion may also have atleast one stability member extending therefrom to provide stability ofthe base portion on a surface.

In another embodiment, the invention relates to a package for foodproducts comprising a plurality of individual, single-servingcontainers, each of the containers having an article-receiving portion,and a lid portion that is hinged to the article-receiving portion. Theplurality of containers are removably attached to one another, to alloweach individual, single-serving container to be selectively releasedfrom the plurality of containers. Both the article-receiving and lidportions having side flanges which are selectively connected to oneanother to close the article-receiving portion with the lid portion. Inan embodiment, a fastener system may be provided in association with theflanges to allow selective closure of the lid portion with the baseportion. The fastener system may comprise a tamper-evident seal inassociation with the flanges or connecting the lid and base portions, ormay comprise a reclosable fastener system. An embodiment of a reclosablefastener system may comprise one of the lid or base portions having atleast one male part extending from the flange and one of said portionshaving at least one corresponding female part formed in the flange tomate with the at least one male part, such that the flanges areselectively connected to one another by the at least one male-femaleparts to selectively close the article-receiving portion.

In an embodiment, the single-serving containers provided in a package ofa plurality of containers may have the article receiving portionsremovably attached to at least one adjacent container, and/or the lidportions of adjacent containers may be removably attached to oneanother. The attachment of the individual, single-serving containers toone another may use perforations between the article receiving and/orlid portions of the containers, wherein the perforations are formed suchthat upon detachment of the containers from one another, there is notcreated any sharp or outwardly extending portions in the individualcontainer upon being disengaged from the plurality of containers. Forexample, the article receiving and/or lid portions may have side flangesreleasably connected to one another, and upon disengagement, the exposededge of the flange portion is relatively smooth.

In one aspect of the embodiments of the subject invention, the shape ofthe article-receiving portion and lid portion are selected to conform tothe shape of a food product. In another aspect of the embodiments of theinvention, the side walls of the article-receiving portion, andoptionally the lid portion, are ribbed. In yet another aspect of theembodiments of the subject invention, the at least one fastener systemis at least one male part extending from the flange of one portion ofthe individual container and at least one corresponding female partformed in the flange of the other portion to mate with the at least onemale part.

In manufacture of the plurality of containers, the parts produced withperforations formed between the adjacent containers during production ofthe containers themselves, thereby not requiring any secondary operationin forming these structures. In accordance with an example, theperforations are formed as micro perforations which upon selectivedetachment of an individual container form a substantially finishededge, which does not have any portions extending from the edge to anysignificant degree which could cause harm to a person handling thecontainer or remaining package configuration.

In another aspect of the invention, a method of packaging baked goodscomprises the steps of providing a package having a plurality ofcontainers for food products, with each of the plurality of containershaving a first open position and a second closed position and formed tohouse individual or single-servings of a baked good food product, beingformed to have an article-receiving portion, and a lid portion that ishinged to the article-receiving portion, both portions having sideflanges and at least one of the portions having at least one fastenersystem, such that the flanges are selectively connected to one anotherby the at least one fastener to close the article-receiving portion withthe lid portion, wherein the article-receiving portion is formed tohouse a single-serving baked food product. A baked good food product ispositioned in each of the plurality of containers, and each container isclosed for packaging of the food products into the closed containers.Thereafter, at least one of the containers is selectively detached fromthe package for use and consumption of the food product contained in thedetached container.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a top view of an embodiment of a package for a food product,which is opened, according to the invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view of an embodiment of a package for a food product,which is opened, according to the invention.

FIG. 3 is a side view of an embodiment of a package for a food product,which is closed, according to the invention.

FIG. 4 is a top view of an alternate embodiment of a package for a foodproduct, which is opened, according to the invention.

FIG. 5 is a top view of an alternate embodiment of a package for a foodproduct, which is opened, according to the invention.

FIG. 6 is a side view of an alternate embodiment of a package for a foodproduct, which is opened, according to the invention.

FIG. 7 is a top view of the embodiment as shown in FIG. 6.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring now to the drawings, there is shown an example of a containerand package configuration for purposes of illustrating embodiments ofthe invention only and not for purposes of limiting the same. FIGS. 1-3show an embodiment of an individual container 10 for an individual orsingle-serving baked food product. In FIG. 1, the container 10 is shownin an open position for receiving a baked food product therein. In thisexample, the container 10 is designed for housing a baked muffin productfor example, but it is contemplated that containers 10 for other bakedgoods can be provided in accordance with the invention, fortransporting, storing and facilitating handling of baked good foodproducts both before and in the retail environment. The container 10 maycomprise an article-receiving portion 15, and a lid portion 18 that ishinged to the article-receiving portion 15 via a hinge 12. The hinge 12may be formed by a series of perforations formed between thearticle-receiving portion 15 and lid portion 18, wherein the perforationallow repeated pivotal movement of the lid portion 18 relative to thearticle-receiving portion 15 without destruction of the attachmenttherebetween. The hinge 12 may alternatively formed as a score line, acrease, or a combination thereof, however, it may be sufficiently strongso as to permit repeated opening and closing and to maintain thestructural integrity of the container 10. The article-receiving portion15 and lid portion 18 both may have formed therein a cavity 16 and 17respectively, designed to accommodate a particular type of baked good,such as a muffin in the example shown. For housing a muffin for example,the cavity 16 may be formed to have a shape to accommodate a muffin baseportion or baking paper or cup portion of a muffin product, while thelid portion 18 has a cavity 17 to accommodate the upper portion of amuffin product. The container 10 is thus designed to house asingle-serving baked food product such as a single muffin, or would bealternatively configured to the shape of other baked goods, such ascookies, pastries, cupcakes, breads, bagels or the like. As with theexample shown in the Figs. For a muffin, such containers 10 would have aarticle-receiving portion 15 shaped and sized to receive at least aportion of such baked goods, with the lid portion 18 formed to close thearticle-receiving portion 15 and potentially to accommodate a portion ofthe baked goods. The depth of cavity 16 and upper cavity 17 may alsovary depending on the type of food product that is being packaged. Forexample, if the baked food product is a cookie, the depth of the lowercavity 16 and the upper cavity 17 may not be needed or will be shallowerin depth. The length and width of the cavities 16 and 17 may alsoincrease as the length or width of the food product increases. As seenin this example, the lower cavity 16 and the upper cavity 17 may alsohave ribbed walls, for added support, and to facilitate release of thefood product contained therein.

In this example, the lid portion 18 and article-receiving portion 15 areselectively secured to one another in a closed position by a suitablefastening system. In the example shown, the lid portion 18 may furthercomprise a flange portion 19 formed around the cavity portion 17 and anupper fastener mechanism 11. The article-receiving portion 15 may alsohave a flange portion 20 and a lower fastener mechanism 13. The fastenermechanism in this example may be a male/female type of locking system,wherein the fastening member 11 could be a female type of locking memberand the fastening member 13 could be a male type of locking member.Although a single male/female connector is shown in this example, thearticle-receiving portion 15 could have a plurality of fastening memberssuch a male locking members 13, with the and lid portion 18 including anequal number of female locking members 11. To close the container, thetwo cover members are pivoted into a face-to-face registration in whichthe male and female locking members 11 and 13 are mated to secure theportions 15 and 18 together. With reference to FIG. 3, the container 10is shown in a “closed” position. The upper lid portion 18 is selectivelyfolded on top of the lower product containing portion 15 and theconnecting portions 11 and 13 attached.

To facilitate forming the male/female connector arrangement shown inthis example, in the manufacturing process, a skirt 14 is formed as partof each individual package 10 to allow the male connecting portion 13 tobe produced on the flange 20 of the article-receiving portion 15. In anexample, a machine such as a GN machine may be used, wherein the machineprocesses the plastic material from a flat plastic sheet and forms themale snap feature 13. In the manufacturing operation, the machine can'tgo below the sheet line, so in order to move everything up above sheetline, a taper is provided on the mold, thereby producing the skirt 14.Upon closing of the container 10, the outer skirt 14 also encompassesthe flange 19 of the lid portion 18, which tends to facilitate retentionof the lid portion 18 in the closed position and block moisture, debris,and particles from entering the container 10 when in the closedposition. There may also be provided a tamper proof seal or arrangement(not shown) in association with the container 10 once the food productis received therein and the container is closed to prevent tamperingwith the food product before the container is opened by a consumer. Sucha tamper evident arrangement in general may be any suitable arrangementwhich would allow a user to easily detect whether the package for foodproduct 10 has been tampered with. Examples of tamperproof arrangementscould be an outer shrink wrap/bags, stretch wrap, plastic bags, tapes,heat seals, and any other arrangement as may be desired.

In this example, the male/female connector arrangement is designed suchthat the female connecting structure 11 and the male connectingstructure 13 come together and the female connector 11 elasticallydeforms around the male connector 13, such that once mated, theconnectors remain connected. Such connection may then be selectivelyreleased by a user by pulling up on the lid portion 18, again causingthe female connector to deform and release the male connector. Othersuitable arrangements may be used to selectively connect thearticle-receiving portion 15 and lid portion 18 as may be desired.

The container 10 may be made of a material that is strong enough to holdfood products. Plastics such as polyethylene terephthalate, high densitypolyethylene, polyvinyl chloride, or PVC, low density polyethylene,polypropylene, polystyrene, and other materials for the container 10will be realized by persons of ordinary skill in the art.

With reference to FIG. 4, a package 100 for baked food products maycomprise a plurality of individual, single-serving containers 110, whichmay be similar to that shown and described in FIGS. 1-3 or otherembodiments for example. With reference to FIG. 4, the package for foodproducts is shown at 100, with the plurality of individual packages forfood products 110 being attached by a perforations 119 located betweeneach article-receiving portion 115. The perforations 119 allow for theindividual packages for food products 110 to be selectively removed fromthe other individual containers of package 100. The lid portions 118have a gap 120 between each container 110 to allow the upper lidportions 118 to bend at a fold line 112 and be connected while theindividual containers 110 remain part of the overall package 100.

Each individual package for food products 110 may again comprise afastening system, such as connectors 111 and 113, which may be similarto that previously described. The upper fastener 111 may be a femaleconnecting structure that mates with the lower fastener 113 that may bea male connecting structure. In this example, the female connectingstructure and the male connecting structure are elastically deformablein order to facilitate mating therebetween and remain connected.

As in the prior example of FIGS. 1-3, the individual containers 110 mayalso include a skirt 114. The skirt 114 may also block moisture, debris,and particles from entering the package for food product 100 when thepackage for food product 100 is in a closed position. Tamperproofsystems may also be used with the individual containers 100 in order toeasily detect whether the package for food product 100 has been tamperedwith.

In manufacture of the individual container of FIGS. 1-3 or otherexamples and the packaging configuration 100 of the invention as anexample, thermoforming processes may be used in a cost-effectiveoperation to form individual containers 10. In a thermoforming process,a plastic material is provided in a flexible, flat sheet, generally in alarge roll form. The sheet material is fed into and run as a web throughan oven, wherein the material is heated to soften the material. Thesoftened material then progresses into a mold station. In forming thepackage 100 as shown in FIG. 4, with a plurality of individual,single-serving containers 110, the sheet material is fed into the moldstation and is clamped off by a forming die. Air is then injected intothe mold and it forces that softened material up against the moldcontours, and concurrently begins to cool the material down. During themolding process, the material thus begins becoming more rigid, notcompletely rigid but more rigid than when it is initially heated. Theforming die clamps off the sheet so the air can be introduced, and thenafter the forming is done, the die also is used to cut the part out ofthe sheet. The forming die is also used to cut in all the perforationsin a single forming operation. The plurality of individual,single-serving containers 110, are formed by the die configuration tothereby form each of the containers 110 with an article-receivingportion 115, and a lid portion 118 that is hinged to thearticle-receiving portion 115. The hinge 112 between thearticle-receiving portion 115 and lid portion 118 may be formed byperforations which are designed to securely attach the portions whileallowing folding of the lid onto the article-receiving portion in arepeatable fashion, without destruction of the hinge perforations. Boththe article-receiving 115 and lid portions 118 are formed to have theside flanges 121 and 122 respectively, and the respective at least onemale and female connecting parts 111 and 113 in a single operation.Similarly, the perforations 119 which connect the individual containersare formed integrally with forming the package in a single operation.The entire package configuration is therefore formed in a singleoperation, rather than the approach used in the prior art, whereinindividual cups of a food product are lidded and perforations are put inafterwards in a secondary operation.

In the example of the packaging configuration according to theinvention, the connection between the individual, single-servingcontainers 110 is provided in a fashion to provide secure attachment forshipping, transporting and otherwise handling the package 100, whileallowing for simple and selective detachment of one or more individualcontainers 100 from the package 100 when desired. To enable this, theperforation scheme is different than between the lid portions andarticle-receiving portions forming each individual clam-shell container.In the example shown, the perforations 119 are formed as microperforations. In manufacture, the micro perforations may be formed inany suitable manner, such as by a steel roll die and a microperf steelroll blade that cuts the micro perforations upon thermoforming of thepackage. Typically, in the thermoforming process, the parts are cut witha forged knife, while the micro perforations between the individualcontainers 110 may be formed using a steel roll blade configuration. Themicro perforations provide desired strength in terms of retentioncharacteristics between the individual containers 110, and also providethe desired edge upon selective detachment of the individual containers110 from the package 100. Upon tearing the individual containers apart,if there is too coarse of perforations in between the parts, a raggededge is produced, which could cut, scratch or otherwise hurt a consumeror other person handling the package 100 or individual container 110.The use of micro perforations avoids the creation of any ragged edges,and produces a nice, fine finished edge which would not have any sharpedges or points that could cause harm to a person handling the packageor container. The character of the micro perforations is such as toproduce these qualities, of suitable retention strength as well as asmooth finished edge upon detachment. For example, micro perforations,whereby small microscopic slits or holes are made in the plasticmaterial, may be formed using a very thin knife blade, and with onlysmall retention tab therebetween, such that upon detachment, theretention tabs do not project from the edge to any significant degree.Micro perforations can be achieved in a number of ways, such as ribbonknives, mechanical needle perforation, laser perforation or the like.The micro perforations are selectively produced with a predetermined gapand a predetermined frequency of that gap in an inch of roll forexample. In an example, the micro perforations 119 are formed in therange of 10-20 perforations per inch, or at about 15 per inch. The microperforations are formed to produce a desired finished edge on eachindividual container 110 upon being separated to facilitate handlingthereof.

In this example, the micro perforations are formed between the skirtportions 114 formed between the individual containers 110 in the packageconfiguration 100. In the manufacturing process, the skirt is formed aspart of each individual package to allow the male connecting portion 113to be produced on the flange 122 of each article-retaining portion 115.In an example, a machine such as a GN machine may be used, wherein themachine processes the plastic material from a flat plastic sheet andforms the male snap feature. In the manufacturing operation, the machinecan't go below the sheet line, so in order to move everything up abovesheet line, a taper is provided on the mold, thereby producing the skirt114. The knife or other configuration to form the micro perforations inthe skirt 114 thus may have a tapered configuration also. Alternatively,instead of a male button 113 on the flange 122 formed opposing the clamshell hinge of each individual container, a perimeter snap could beformed along one or both of the side flanges. In addition, eachindividual container may have a tamper evident structure associatedtherewith, such as a tamper evident tear strip in the part, tofacilitate protection of the food product therein, and enhance safety tothe consumer.

An alternative embodiment is shown in FIG. 5, wherein a package 150 forbaked food products may comprise a plurality of individual,single-serving containers 160, which may be similar to that shown anddescribed in FIGS. 1-3 or other embodiments for example. With referenceto FIG. 5, the package 150 has each of the plurality of individualpackages 160 for food products again being attached by perforations 169located between each article-receiving portion 165. The perforations 169allow for the individual packages for food products 160 to beselectively removed from the other individual containers of package 150similar to the embodiment of FIG. 4. In this embodiment though the lidportions 168 do not have a gap between each container 160, but insteadare also connected to adjacent upper lid portions 168 by perforations170 located between each lid portion 168. The perforations 170 allow forthe individual packages for food products 160 to be selectively removedfrom the other individual containers of package 150 similar to theembodiment of FIG. 4, but also allow all the lid portions to beselectively closed together after the food products are introduced intothe article-receiving portions 165 in an automated process. As each ofthe upper lid portions 168 bend at a fold line 162, the connectiontherebetween by perforations 170 enable each lid to be moved by movementof only one of the lid portions 168 to the closed position. Thereafter,to consume the food product, the individual containers 160 can beselectively detached by breaking the perforations 169 and 170 connectingthe article-receiving portions 165 and lid portions 168 respectively.

Each individual package for food products 160 may again comprise afastening system, such as connectors 161 and 163, which may be similarto that previously described. The upper fastener 161 may be a femaleconnecting structure that mates with the lower fastener 163 that may bea male connecting structure. In this example, the female connectingstructure and the male connecting structure are elastically deformablein order to facilitate mating therebetween and remain connected.

With reference to FIGS. 6 and 7, an alternate embodiment of aindividual, single-serving container for baked food products is shown at200, and may comprise of an upper lid portion 218 and a lowerarticle-receiving portion 215. The lid portion 218 and article-receivingportion 215 are connected via a hinge 212. The hinge 212 may be formedby a series of perforations formed between the article-receiving portion215 and lid portion 218, wherein the perforations allow repeated pivotalmovement of the lid portion 218 relative to the article-receivingportion 215 without destruction of the attachment therebetween. Thehinge 212 may alternatively formed as a score line, a crease, or acombination thereof, and may be sufficiently strong so as to permitrepeated opening and closing and to maintain the structural integrity ofthe container 200. The article-receiving portion 215 and lid portion 218both may have formed therein a cavity 216 and 217 respectively, designedto accommodate a particular type of baked good, such as a muffin in theexample shown. For housing a muffin for example, the cavity 216 may beformed to have a shape to accommodate a muffin base portion or bakingpaper or cup portion of a muffin product, while the lid portion 218 hasa cavity 217 to accommodate the upper portion of a muffin product. Thecontainer 200 is thus designed to house a single-serving baked foodproduct such as a single muffin, or would be alternatively configured tothe shape of other baked goods, such as cookies, pastries, cupcakes,breads, bagels or the like. In this example, the lid portion 218 andarticle-receiving portion 215 are selectively secured to one another ina closed position by a suitable tamper-evident fastening system. In theexample shown, the lid portion 18 may further comprise a flange portion219 formed around the cavity portion 217, with the article-receivingportion 215 also have a flange portion 220. The flange portions 219 and220 are connected to one another by a heat seal or adhesive seal 222 forexample. As an example, a heat seal may be formed to close the lidportion 218 and article-receiving portion 215 after the food product ispositioned therein, or an adhesive strip may be provided on one or bothflanges 219 and 220 during manufacturing of the container 200 to allowthe container to be closed after the food product is positioned therein.Such a closure could serve as a tamper evident closure wherein anyrelease of the closure would be indicated, or reclosure thereof wouldnot be possible. In such an example, the elimination of the button typeof closure in the prior examples may provide for a smaller footprint ofcontainer 200, to provide the ability to stack more containers on apallet, shelf or the like for efficient storage or shipping. Also inthis embodiment, the container 200 may have one or more stabilizers 224associated with the article-receiving portion 215 that provideadditional stability to the container 200 when positioned on a flatsurface, such as on the shelf in a retail environment or duringconsumption by a consumer. The one or more stabilizers 224 may be of anysuitable configuration, and as shown in this example, could provideextension to the base of the article-receiving portion 215 to preventtipping thereof.

The containers or packages for food products according to examples ofthe invention may be made of a material that is strong enough to holdfood products. Plastics such as polyethylene terephthalate, high densitypolyethylene, polyvinyl chloride, or PVC, low density polyethylene,polypropylene, polystyrene, and other materials for the package for foodproduct will be realized by persons of ordinary skill in the art.

The invention has been described herein with reference to the disclosedembodiments. Obviously, modifications and alterations will occur toothers upon a reading and understanding of this specification. It isintended to include all such modifications and alterations insofar asthey come within the scope of the appended claims or the equivalentthereof.

1. A package for baked food products comprising: a plurality ofindividual containers for single-serving baked food products, whereineach of the individual containers comprises an article-receivingportion, and a lid portion that is hinged to the article-receivingportion, the article-receiving and lid portions have a fastening systemassociated with the portions to selectively close the lid portion to thearticle-receiving portion, wherein the article-receiving portion isformed to house a single-serving baked food product, and wherein, theplurality of individual containers are removably attached to oneanother, to allow each individual, single-serving container to beselectively released from the plurality of containers in the package. 2.The package according to claim 1, wherein the article-receiving and lidportions have side flanges and the fastening system comprises at leastone of said lid or article-receiving portions having at least one malepart extending from at least one side flange and one of said portionshaving at least one corresponding female part formed in the at least oneflange to mate with the at least one male part, such that the flangesare selectively connected to one another by the at least one male-femaleparts.
 3. The package according to claim 1, wherein thearticle-receiving and lid portions have flanges and the fastening systemcomprises a heat seal or adhesive connection between said lid andarticle-receiving portions.
 4. The package of claim 1, wherein theindividual container lid portions have an upper cavity portion and thearticle-receiving portions have a lower cavity portion, with the cavityportions shaped to accommodate a predetermined baked food product. 5.The package of claim 1, wherein the individual containers are connectedby a perforated edge between the article-receiving portions, the lidportions or both.
 6. The package of claim 5, wherein the perforated edgeis formed by micro perforations.
 7. The package of claim 6, wherein themicro perforations are formed such that upon detachment of an individualcontainer, the perforated edge is a substantially smooth edge.
 8. Thepackage of claim 6, wherein the micro perforations are formed in therange of 10-20 perforations per inch.
 9. The package of claim 1, whereinthe shape of each individual container is designed to conform to theshape of a baked food product.
 10. The package of claim 9, wherein thelower cavity further comprises an upper shelf and a bottom surface. 11.The package of claim 10, wherein the upper shelf has a larger diameterthan the bottom surface.
 12. A container for baked food productscomprising: a lid portion comprising a first cavity, the first cavitybeing bound by a first flange, a product-receiving portion comprising asecond cavity, the second cavity being bound by a second flange, and afastening system to selectively connect the first flange with the secondflange to selectively close the lid portion with the article-receivingportion; wherein the first and second cavities are formed to accommodatea single-serving baked food product when the lid portion is closed andconnected with the article-receiving portion.
 13. The container asdefined in claim 12, wherein the shape of the first and second cavitiesare selected to conform to the shape of a single-serving baked foodproduct.
 14. The container as defined in claim 12, whereinarticle-receiving portion includes at least one stabilizer associatedtherewith.
 15. The container as defined in claim 12, wherein thefastening system is selected from the group consisting of female andmale connecting structures, a heat seal and an adhesive seal.
 16. Thecontainer as defined in claim 12, wherein the second cavity furthercomprises an upper shelf and a bottom surface.
 17. The container asdefined in claim 16, wherein the upper shelf has a larger diameter thanthe bottom surface.
 18. The container as defined in claim 12, whereinthe second flange has an outer skirt portion formed on the periphery ofat least a portion of the second flange; and wherein outer skirtencompasses at least a portion of the first flange upon selectivelyclosing the lid portion with the article-receiving portion.
 19. A methodof packaging and dispensing baked goods in individual containers,comprising the steps of: providing a package for baked food productscomprising a plurality of individual containers for single-serving bakedfood products, wherein each of the individual containers comprises anarticle-receiving portion, and a lid portion that is hinged to thearticle-receiving portion, the article-receiving and lid portions have afastening system associated with the portions to selectively close thelid portion to the article-receiving portion, wherein thearticle-receiving portion is formed to house a single-serving baked foodproduct, and wherein the plurality of individual containers areremovably attached to one another, placing a single-serving of the bakedgoods in the individual containers in a first open position; closing theindividual containers into a second closed position; and, selectivelydetaching at least one of the individual containers from the package.20. The method of claim 19, further comprising the step of selectivelydetaching one or more individual containers from the plurality ofcontainers for dispensing thereof.